A-bomb survivors and others express disappointment and dissatisfaction at Hiroshima Vision, which does not mention TPNW
May 21, 2023
by Masanori Wada and Kana Kobayashi, Staff Writers
On May 20, A-bomb survivors and citizens’ groups voiced their disappointment one after another with the “G7 Leaders’ Hiroshima Vision on Nuclear Disarmament,” issued during the summit meeting of G7 (the Group of Seven industrialized nations) on May 19. Among the disappointment voiced, those that stood out pointed out that, from an A-bombed city, the Vision was not satisfactory as a declaration in seeking “a world without nuclear weapons.”
In the Hiroshima Vision, the G7 leaders mentioned Russia by name and reiterated their position that the threats and use of nuclear weapons were inadmissible. Toshiyuki Mimaki, 81, a resident of Kitahiroshima-cho in Hiroshima Prefecture and chair of the Hiroshima Prefectural Confederation of A-bomb Sufferers Organizations, expressed his concerns. “Russia’s ‘threat of nuclear weapon use’ is a problem. But I’m afraid the Vision might divide the world more.” Regarding the fact that the G7 leaders virtually affirmed nuclear deterrence, as the joint declaration issued at the G7 summit of Foreign Ministers in April did, Mr. Mimaki said coldly, “I cannot agree to that point at all, because they share a view that the world is safe thanks to nuclear weapons.”
Kunihiko Sakuma, 78, a resident of the city’s Nishi Ward, Hiroshima, and chair of the other faction of the Hiroshima Prefectural Confederation of A-bomb Sufferers Organizations, stressed, “I cannot understand their stance of issuing a declaration affirming nuclear deterrence from Hiroshima.” The Vision does not refer to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) at all, which a growing number of non-nuclear weapons states have signed and ratified. Mr. Sakuma argued, “The G7 leaders probably had no intention to take up the treaty as a subject of discussion from the beginning. I cannot accept it.”
Mayu Seto, 31, a resident of Kure City in Hiroshima Prefecture and member of Kakukawa Hiroshima, a group mainly composed of young people in Hiroshima who are actively learning about nuclear policies as voters, said flatly, “The Vision looks utterly insufficient. I’m very disappointed that this is the document published after the G7 leaders had a dialogue with an A-bomb survivor at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. The vision doesn’t touch on the TPNW and lacks perspective from nuclear sufferers across the world.”
Teruko Yahata, 85, a resident of Fuchu-cho in Hiroshima Prefecture and an A-bomb survivor sharing her A-bomb account both in Japanese and English, said, “I want to welcome the Hiroshima Vision’s mention of the importance of young people’s engagement in nuclear disarmament.” However, she accepted the Vision with such words as “I’m sad, because I do not feel the G7 leaders believe the only option is to eliminate nuclear weapons.”
(Originally published on May 21, 2023)
On May 20, A-bomb survivors and citizens’ groups voiced their disappointment one after another with the “G7 Leaders’ Hiroshima Vision on Nuclear Disarmament,” issued during the summit meeting of G7 (the Group of Seven industrialized nations) on May 19. Among the disappointment voiced, those that stood out pointed out that, from an A-bombed city, the Vision was not satisfactory as a declaration in seeking “a world without nuclear weapons.”
In the Hiroshima Vision, the G7 leaders mentioned Russia by name and reiterated their position that the threats and use of nuclear weapons were inadmissible. Toshiyuki Mimaki, 81, a resident of Kitahiroshima-cho in Hiroshima Prefecture and chair of the Hiroshima Prefectural Confederation of A-bomb Sufferers Organizations, expressed his concerns. “Russia’s ‘threat of nuclear weapon use’ is a problem. But I’m afraid the Vision might divide the world more.” Regarding the fact that the G7 leaders virtually affirmed nuclear deterrence, as the joint declaration issued at the G7 summit of Foreign Ministers in April did, Mr. Mimaki said coldly, “I cannot agree to that point at all, because they share a view that the world is safe thanks to nuclear weapons.”
Kunihiko Sakuma, 78, a resident of the city’s Nishi Ward, Hiroshima, and chair of the other faction of the Hiroshima Prefectural Confederation of A-bomb Sufferers Organizations, stressed, “I cannot understand their stance of issuing a declaration affirming nuclear deterrence from Hiroshima.” The Vision does not refer to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) at all, which a growing number of non-nuclear weapons states have signed and ratified. Mr. Sakuma argued, “The G7 leaders probably had no intention to take up the treaty as a subject of discussion from the beginning. I cannot accept it.”
Mayu Seto, 31, a resident of Kure City in Hiroshima Prefecture and member of Kakukawa Hiroshima, a group mainly composed of young people in Hiroshima who are actively learning about nuclear policies as voters, said flatly, “The Vision looks utterly insufficient. I’m very disappointed that this is the document published after the G7 leaders had a dialogue with an A-bomb survivor at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. The vision doesn’t touch on the TPNW and lacks perspective from nuclear sufferers across the world.”
Teruko Yahata, 85, a resident of Fuchu-cho in Hiroshima Prefecture and an A-bomb survivor sharing her A-bomb account both in Japanese and English, said, “I want to welcome the Hiroshima Vision’s mention of the importance of young people’s engagement in nuclear disarmament.” However, she accepted the Vision with such words as “I’m sad, because I do not feel the G7 leaders believe the only option is to eliminate nuclear weapons.”
(Originally published on May 21, 2023)
